Foreign Ministry has dismissed latest allegations regarding "biolaboratories" in Ukraine following statement by US Director of National Intelligence Gabbard
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to the latest wave of misinformation regarding specific cooperation programmes in the fields of biosafety and public health in Ukraine.
This is reported on the foreign ministry’s website, according to Censor.NET.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ response to the new wave of manipulation
"Once again, we reject these baseless accusations and emphasise that Ukraine consistently fulfils its international obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). The Ukrainian side has never engaged in activities related to the development, production or stockpiling of biological weapons," the Foreign Ministry emphasised.
The Ministry noted that cooperation between Ukraine and the US in the field of biosafety has for many years been aimed exclusively at strengthening the capabilities of the public health system, epidemiological surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, biosafety and biosecurity. This refers to routine civilian activities that comply with international health standards and practices and are not linked to any military objectives.
"The laboratory facilities that have participated in the relevant international technical assistance programmes are diagnostic, research or reference laboratories within the public health system, veterinary medicine or other scientific institutions," the Foreign Ministry stated.
The Foreign Ministry notes that the theme of so-called "biological weapons laboratories" is not new — Russia has used it in its propaganda for many years. At the same time, all Russian allegations have been repeatedly refuted at the international level.
"Thus, in 2022, at the request of the Russian Federation in accordance with Article V of the BWC, an official consultative process was held with the participation of the Convention’s member states, during which all data regarding the relevant cooperation programmes, their objectives and implementation mechanisms were provided. Following the consultations, the allegations regarding the alleged development of biological weapons or the operation of military biological programmes in Ukraine found no confirmation whatsoever. The relevant issues were also considered within the framework of the UN Security Council, where no evidence was presented to support the claims put forward by the Russian Federation," the statement said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled that in December 2023, Ukraine officially reaffirmed its position at a meeting of the BWC’s member states, emphasising that the 2022 consultative process had thoroughly examined the aforementioned allegations, and that Ukraine’s cooperation with international partners in the field of public health is fully in line with the provisions of the Convention.
"Ukraine remains committed to the principles of transparency, international cooperation and the strengthening of the global biosafety system. We urge reliance on the results of international consultations and verified facts, rather than on distorted interpretations or Russian propaganda," the statement reads.
What led up to this?
It should be recalled that the Director of US National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, prior to her resignation, released declassified materials regarding over 120 Washington-funded facilities in more than 30 countries worldwide, including within Ukraine. These relate to research conducted under biosafety programmes.
The published materials also include a map showing the locations of the facilities in Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and Zakarpattia.
